Trahan earns honor to play for country

The Kinder High product and Louisiana-Lafayette baseball star is getting more an more attention as his college career continues.

Last week the sophomore shortstop accepted an invitation to play with the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team this summer.

By doing so he becomes the first in Cajun history to accept the honor.

“To have someone invited to represent
your country is probably the highest reward a player can get for his
hard work and effort,”
head coach Tony Robichaux said. “Blake has worked very hard to get
to this point. He is extremely deserving of this honor.
This is such a great thing for the university to have another
athlete represent the name around the world this summer with
Elrid Payton getting the chance to do the same thing last year.”

Trahan, who burst onto the scene last year as a freshman for the Cajuns, is hitting .337 this year. He has scored 48 runs
and driven in 36 while hitting three home runs for 46-7 ULL, which has been ranked as high as No. 1 in the country during
the season.

“I think Blake’s success this season is
due to the freshman year he had,” Robichaux added. “He is one of the
few guys I’ve
coached that as a freshman really slowed the game down and played
above his chronological age at one of the toughest positions
to play in baseball in shortstop. He’s not only deserving of this
athletically, but also because of his character off of the
field and leadership in the clubhouse.”

Trahan has been just as good in the field, committing just eight errors in the first 53 games.

“I never imagined that I would get the opportunity to represent USA baseball,” Trahan said. “I feel blessed to receive this
honor. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without great teammates and amazing coaches that have helped me to become the
player that I am today.”

He showed off for the home folks when he played at McNeese earlier this season. In the Cajun win, he homered and drove in
a pair of runs to lead the ULL attack.

As a true freshman Trahan hit .319 with four homers and 38 RBIs while going 13-for-13 in stolen bases. He led the team in
starts, starting in all 62 games he played for ULL.

For his efforts he was named the Sun Belt Conference’s Freshman of the Year.

The 2014 Collegiate National Team will
be coached by Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn. The team’s assistant
coaches include
Rob Childress (head coach at Texas A&M), Ray Birmingham (head
coach at New Mexico) and Steve Rodriguez (head coach at Pepperdine).

The Collegiate National Team will play
games against Chinese Taipei and Japan on U.S. soil while also making
trips to The
Netherlands for the Honkbal- Haarlem Baseball Week and to Havana,
Cuba for a Friendship Series against Cuba. The Collegiate
National Baseball team begins play on June 21 with the Red, White
and Blue Tour in various cities across the United States.